Purchase Paul Loeb’s Books

Please encourage local stores, both independents and chains, to stock Paul’s books as visibly as possible. For bulk information, click here. And if you buy ten or more copies Paul will even autograph them.

Shop Indie Bookstores – Your Local Independent Bookstore

Buy on-line through your local independent store, or find the number to order in person or by phone. It’s the best way to help my books, and to promote a healthy culture of publishing. Calling, ordering, and letting them know where you’ve heard about the book can really build in-store presence. Supporting your local independent (or other independent stores) means supporting businesses that think of books as more than just product, that create word-of-mouth networks that can launch books that don’t fit easy categories or aren’t just memoirs by the Kardashians, and that support your local economy.

There’s nothing like browsing a good store and asking knowledgable staffers for books they admire. But if you want to order without leaving your computer, most of these stories will also let you order online, and all of them will ship to you with a phone call.

click here for The Impossible Will Take a Little While‘s wholly updated new edition ($18.99 paperback, Basic Books, 2014)

Not an independent, but you’re still supporting physical stores. You can also get Nook editions if you want to read electronically.

Click here for The Impossible‘s latest edition, here for a Nook electronic edition, or order through your local Barnes & Noble

Click here for Soul‘s latest edition, here for a Nook electronic edition, or order through your local Barnes & Noble

Amazon.Com

If you only order through Amazon, I’d rather you buy my books through them than not buy them at all. I’ve given the links below. But whether you’re reading books in print or electronically, I’d strongly prefer you order my book and all others you buy from actual stores like those listed above. Here are three major reasons why:

They’re destructive to publishing and bookstores. In January 2010 Amazon dropped all the books of Soul’s publisher, St Martin’s for nearly two weeks, as well as their sister companies Henry Holt, Farrar Straus and others. They did this as part of a raw power play, attempting to set a precedent by bullying the publishing group into letting Amazon set so low a price on Kindle editions that it would undercut in-store sales, particularly of hardbacks. Amazon then backed off in response to public outrage, but prevailed in a lawsuit to allow them to do this. In Fall of 2011 Amazon offered a smart-phone tool where people would go into brick and mortar stores, check out books they wanted, and then get a $5 discount if they captured the info on their phone and bought from Amazon. This seemed more arrogant than anything else they’ve done. In 2014, after publishing group Hachette refused to give them lower prices, they jacked up the prices for their books, promoted competing books that would come up when you searched for Hachette authors, disappeared listings entirely, or said Hachette titles were wholly unavailable without major delays. This is pure blackmail, and morally inexcusable.

They treat their workers terribly, or at least those who ship their books and other products. As the LA Times reported, Amazon has kept its warehouse workers in 100 degree heat, with an ambulance outside in case they pass out. If they go home because they’re sick, they get written up and six points and they’re fired. If their scan card doesn’t work, which it often doesn’t they’re sent home, and then they’re still docked. If they get an injury from the pace, they’re fired. I met some of the former workers at a rally where I spoke at Amazon’s headquarters. This immensely profitable company treats them as totally disposable. Here’s an account of what it’s like to work in one of their warehouses.

They support regressive political policies. Through most of its existence, Amazon lobbied extensively against being charged local sales tax on their book sales, undermining local economies and placing them at an advantage over regular bookstores. They’ve also lobbied to keep major loopholes on federal taxes.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos also does this individually. Washington State has the most regressive tax system in the country, where those at the top pay the least and those at the bottom the most. We’re worse than Mississippi. Part of that is the lack of any state income tax. When voters launched an initiative to tax households earning $400,000 a more per year, Bezos (now worth $19 billion) donated $150,000 to help defeat it. To be fair, he did hire Marty Baron, the courageous editor in the movie Spotlight, to run the Washington Post, but there are still better alternatives.
So while I’d vastly prefer you buy my books from Amazon than not buy them at all, I’d still urge you to order from actual stores and suggest the same to your friends.

Click here to order The Impossible‘s latest edition from Amazon, and here for a Kindle version

Bulk Purchases:

If you’d like to buy bulk copies, for instance to give away to students, both Paul’s publishers offer substantial discounts. Costs for 15 or more copies of SOUL are $8.50 apiece plus roughly .50 per copy shipping. (Or $10.20 each plus shipping for 10-14 copies) Unless you’re a registered nonprofit you’ll also need to pay tax. Costs for 25 or more copies of THE IMPOSSIBLE are $10.00 apiece including shipping (although my publisher will know after Thanksgiving if they can drop that minimum to 10). Meanwhile, if you only want to order 10-24 copies of THE IMPOSSIBLE and need a discount, most independent stores will give you a bulk discount, or you can get 30% off at Barnes&Noble.com, or $14 apiece. If you’re interested in large numbers of books, like 500 or more, you can often negotiate higher discounts.

Special autograph offer:

If you buy ten or more copies of either book and send Paul Loeb the list of names of people you’re giving them to, he will send you autographed bookplates. Please send the list, a self-addressed stamped envelope, and .50 apiece per name to cover the cost of the plates to

Paul Loeb

3232 41st Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98116

Academic Exam Copies

For academic examination copies of The Impossible and information on classroom use, including classroom study questions, see The Impossible Classroom Use

For Soul of a Citizen academic examination copies and information on classroom use, including classroom study questions, see Soul Classroom Use